We started off the morning the way you should start off any morning in a French-speaking city: with fresh-from-the-bakery*still*warm*chocolate croissants. There is a bakery right around the corner, so Jonathan ran and got ’em for us. They were delightful 🤩🤩
Also, the kids had a great time petting the kitty, Monroe.
Also, when we went to the grocery store last night, we found REAL Kinder eggs. The ones they sell in the US are pretty good, but they aren’t the same. So, we bought one for each of the kids. And they may have had them for breakfast also…. #ButItsAllOkCauseWe’reOnVacation #EverythingsOKCauseWe’reOnVacation
We finished breakfast, and headed down toward the old part of Montreal. And we got crazy lucky with parking, we found a spot right next to the Notre Dame Basilica which is right in the heart of things. And right next to a gift shop too.
Lately, we have been hitting the souvenir shops first thing, rather than waiting until the end. And with little kids, this has served us very well. So that’s what we did today. Clara, Jonas, and Logan each got their keychain, I got my stickers, and we got a couple of postcards to send out. We may have also gotten some maple candy and a couple of t-shirts. In the end, we spent enough that we got an awesome bag. It was so dumb, but I was so dang excited about it. I’m pretty sure that guy ringing us up thought I was crazy. #ButItsAllOkCauseWe’reOnVacation
After the gift shop, we just wandered for a while, seeing the sites and checking things out. And occasionally wandering into a shop if it caught our fancy. It was so fun to walk around such a European-feeling city. And to hear/see French everywhere. All the European vibes reminded me of my mission ❤️
One of the shops that we stopped in was Le Petite Duck Shoppe and it was definitely the kids’ favorite stop. Logan even grabbed a business card because he’s planning to work there someday. And how would he remember to work there if he didn’t have a business card to remind him? 😂😂😂 That kid cracks me up.
Eventually, we all started to get hungry. So we made our way back toward the basilica. Jonathan and the young’uns hung out in the square. Clara, Jonas, and I went to a Creperie and ordered to-go crepes for everyone.
They were delicious. We ordered a mix of sweet and savory crepes, but, of course, the sweet crepes were the clear favorite. We also let the kids run around a bit in the square for a moment to *hopefully* burn off a little bit of the sugar high.
We then decided to go check out the basilica itself. We got tickets and went and wandered around for a while.
One of the things that I really enjoy about walking around churches is that it sparks some really cool conversations with the kids. They have really good questions.
Isaac was very excited that there was an Isaac featured in one of the works of art. Evie was less than thrilled that she wasn’t up there too 😂
And then we continued the sugar orgy and got a scoop of ice cream for everyone.
By this point, the younger kids were feeling pretty worn out. So, we decided to end our day in old Montreal on a high note and we headed home. We drove through the newer parts of the city. Montreal is a lovely city. And the twins fell asleep about 4.5 minutes after we buckled them into their car seats.
We arrived home. And shortly thereafter, we started our evening routine: dinner, baths, & bedtime for the twins.
We got a movie going for the three older kids, and then Jonathan and I headed out. Our place is a short walk to Montreal’s Little Italy, and Jonathan had made us an 9:15 reservation at a nice restaurant called Il Bazzali.
Crazy. A date night two nights in a row!? What’s the world coming to?
And oh my gosh, the food was AMAZING. Seriously. Some of the best food I’ve had in a LONG time. My mouth is watering as I write this….
And it was lovely to spend an evening out with my handsome fella.
Basically, Montreal is awesome and it was a fantastic day.
